Ukraine’s top athletes have paid defiant tributes to a Ukrainian prisoner of war (POW) shown apparently being killed by Russian troops in a video that has shocked the nation. The unarmed prisoner is seen smoking in a trench. “Glory to Ukraine!” he says, before being shot. Tennis star Elina Svitolina, Chelsea footballer Mykhailo Mudryk and others responded with “Glory to the Heroes!” in their video tribute. It is a battle cry in Ukraine’s army. The saying became popular among ordinary Ukrainians after Russia annexed Ukraine’s southern Crimea peninsula in 2014. It has seen a resurgence after Moscow’s full-scale invasion launched last year. In the tribute video posted online, Ukrainian athletes representing several sports appear one-by-one saying “Glory to the Heroes!” It comes after a passionate call by President Volodymyr Zelensky. “I want us all to respond to his words together, in unity: ‘Glory to the Hero! Glory to the Heroes! Glory to Ukraine!'” he said earlier this week. Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko and Taras Stepanenko, who plays for Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk feature in the video. Legendary former player and now coach Serhiy Rebrov is also shown. Separately, Ukraine’s heavyweight world champion, Oleksandr Usyk, recorded a video of himself reciting a poem dedicated to the shot soldier, whose identity remains unclear. “Glory to Ukraine! – for these words you got a bullet,” he reads. “You’re no more – but memory is eternal of you, fighter”.(BBC)…[+]

Nigeria’s Supreme Court has ruled that old banknotes remain legal tender until the end of the year, bringing relief to millions affected by a chaotic redesign of the naira notes. The justices said that not enough notice was given to the public before the old notes were withdrawn. Not enough of the new notes were released, leading to widespread anger and frustration. Many people were unable to get cash to pay for food and slept outside banks. The policy was announced last October and the new notes were released in mid-December. People were initially given until the end of January to hand in all their old notes, although this had previously been extended amid the chaotic scenes. Reading out the ruling, Justice Emmanuel Agim said the correct process had not been followed. “The directive given by President is invalid. Such directive is not just handed down after personal conversation with the governor of CBN [Central Bank of Nigeria],” he said. The court also berated President Muhammadu Buhari for not obeying a previous provisional order to halt the policy until it decided the case. It said there was nothing to show that President Buhari’s directive for the release of old 200 naira notes until 10 April was implemented.(BBC)…[+]

A teenager has been bitten by a crocodile in a remote community hit by floods in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT). Authorities said the 17-year-old boy sustained a “minor laceration to his leg” and was treated at a local clinic. Local government minister Chansey Paech told ABC News people should remain “croc wise”, with crocodiles displaced from flooded rivers after heavy rain. The Australian Defence Force is in the region helping to evacuate people. Mr Paech said some 700 people, including 35 with medical needs, had been flown out of Kalkarindji, about 770km (478 miles) south of Darwin, after the Victoria River burst its banks. “Defence Australia has given us three big planes – two C130s and one C27 – and they’re working to fly evacuees to Katherine,” he tweeted, referring to a town in the NT. A spokeswoman for Mr Paech said major floods brought added risks from crocodiles. “When the river bursts its banks, they’re everywhere”, she told the BBC.(BBC)…[+]

A police officer has died and 79 others taken hostage during protests in Colombia’s southern Caquetá province. Violence erupted on Thursday after residents blockaded the compound of the oil exploration company Emerald Energy. They were demanding its help to repair and build new roads in the area. A civilian was also killed and nine oilfield workers captured alongside the police officers. Video showed the hostages sitting in a crowded room on rows of chairs and on the floor. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he hoped they would be “unilaterally” released before any escalation of violence, and asked for medical help from the Red Cross. Many of the protesters are rural and indigenous people who want Emerald Energy to build new road infrastructure around the San Vicente del Caguan area. The oil company did not respond when approached by Reuters news agency for comment. Colombian police paid tribute on Twitter to the police officer killed in the clash, who they named as Ricardo Monroy.(BBC)…[+]

Starbucks illegally fired six workers in New York state in a pushback against unions, a US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) judge has ruled. The judge says the firm committed “egregious and widespread” violations of federal labour law at its stores in cities of Buffalo and Rochester. The coffee chain has been ordered to rehire the ex-workers and compensate others who were affected. In response, Starbucks said its actions were lawful and in line with policies. “We believe the decision and the remedies ordered are inappropriate given the record in this matter and are considering all options to obtain further legal review,” Starbucks told the BBC. In a more than 200 page decision, Michael A Rosas, who is a federal administrative law judge, also ordered Starbucks to rehire another worker that he ruled had been illegally forced out of their job. Mr Rosas said Starbucks had showed “a general disregard for the employees’ fundamental rights” in response to union campaigns. The judge added that the company interrogated and threatened workers and restricted discussion of pay.(BBC)…[+]

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been criticised for saying the country’s ban on same-sex marriage is not discriminatory. Weeks ago, he apologised to the LGBTQ community over homophobic comments made by an aide who has since been sacked. Mr Kishida’s party is under growing pressure to improve LGBTQ rights, as more Japanese support same-sex marriage. Japan remains the only G7 country that doesn’t recognise such unions. When asked by an opposition lawmaker if the country’s existing law constituted discrimination, the PM said on Tuesday: “I don’t think disallowing same-sex couples to marry is unjust discrimination by the state.” The prime minister also reiterated his position on Wednesday that a ban on same-sex marriage is “not unconstitutional” but said his stand should not be seen as a form of discrimination. Local LGBTQ groups have accused Mr Kishida of backpedalling on commitments made in recent weeks – saying his words contradicted his actions.(BBC)…[+]

Journalists have been forced to temporarily take down articles critical of powerful oil lobbyists due to the exploitation of US copyright law, according to a new report. At least five such articles have been subject to fake copyright claims, including one by the respected South African newspaper Mail & Guardian, according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). The claims – which falsely assert ownership of the stories – have been made by mystery individuals under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), a law meant to protect copyright holders. Just last month, three separate false copyright claims were made against Diario Rombe, an investigative news outlet that focusses on Equatorial Guinea. The articles under attack are about the president of Equatorial Guinea’s son, Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, and his close associate, Cameroonian businessman and lawyer NJ Ayuk. The OCCRP claimed in a report published on Wednesday that the DMCA process was often abused by “unknown parties” who create backdated fake articles to target critical news reports.(BBC)…[+]

Denmark’s parliament has voted to abolish a springtime public holiday to boost spending on the military. Lawmakers voted 95-68 to scrap Great Prayer Day, a religious holiday observed since the 17th century. The cancellation will provide an additional three billion kroner (£355m; $427m) to be used on the defence budget, the government says. But there has been opposition from opposition politicians, trade unions and religious figures. At the start of the month, some 50,000 protesters gathered outside parliament in Copenhagen to protest the plan. “Stop the thief,” Karsten Honge, a member of the Socialist People’s Party, said during a parliamentary debate on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. “The government is ordering people to work one day more.” However, there was not enough opposition in parliament to call a referendum. Despite the opposition, Denmark’s government coalition said the extra money was needed to raise the defence budget to Nato’s target of 2% of GDP by 2030, instead of 2033 as previously planned.(BBC)…[+]

A drone has crashed in the Moscow region in what was likely an attempt to target civilian infrastructure, the regional governor said. Andrei Vorobyov was speaking after the defence ministry reported downing two Ukrainian drones in southern Russia. Ukraine does not claim responsibility for attacks inside Russia. Russian energy giant Gazprom operates a facility near the village of Gubastovo, about 100 km (62 miles) from Moscow, where the drone crashed. Gazprom told Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti that its operations in the Kolomna district had not been interrupted. The target of the drone in Kolomna “was probably a civilian infrastructure facility, which was not damaged”, Mr Vorobyov posted on Telegram. “There are no casualties or damage on the ground. The FSB (Russian security service) and other competent authorities are investigating,” he added. Images shared by Russian media and officials show a damaged drone in a snow-covered field in front of a forest of birch trees. The area around the Gazprom facility is heavily forested.(BBC)…[+]

Police in Italy have arrested three people on suspicion of people-smuggling following the deaths of at least 67 migrants in a shipwreck off the country’s southern coast on Sunday. The three detained were a Turkish man and two Pakistani nationals. Most of those on the wooden vessel, thought to carry 200 people, were said to be from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Officials have warned the final death toll could climb to more than 100. Rescuers pulled another body from the sea, that of a man, on Tuesday morning. The three men arrested are said to have sailed the boat from Izmir in Turkey to Calabria in Italy despite bad weather conditions. Police say they allegedly asked the migrants for about €8,000 (£7,000; $8,500) each to make the long journey. The vessel is reported to have sunk after it crashed against rocks in rough weather, while trying to land near Crotone. The coastguard said 80 people had been found alive, “including some who managed to reach the shore after the sinking”, meaning many more remained unaccounted for.(BBC)…[+]